The 8 Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives for 2025

Looking for ActiveCampaign alternatives that won’t overload your wallet—or your brain? We compared today’s top email-marketing and automation suites on pricing, ease of use and depth of automation to help you pick the right platform for your budget, list size, and technical comfort.

Why people love/hate ActiveCampaign

• Automations that do almost anything. Visual branching, CRM triggers and SMS all live in one builder.
• …But power brings complexity. Many reviewers call the UI “overwhelming” and “clunky,” citing a steep learning curve, price hikes, and slow support.

Pro Tip: If you rarely touch ActiveCampaign’s automation builder, you may be overpaying for more tool than you need. Lighter tools below start under $15/month.

Best ActiveCampaign Alternatives in 2025

HubSpot Marketing Hub — Best all-in-one growth platform

• What makes it different: Combines marketing, sales, service and a forever-free CRM in one interface, backed by live-chat help and an easier, cleaner dashboard than ActiveCampaign.
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: If you want drag-and-drop email plus native CRM and pipeline tools without extra connectors, HubSpot’s free/Starter tiers let you unify data and test AI “Breeze Copilot” features long before you’d pay for them in ActiveCampaign.
• Watch out for: Full-blown omnichannel automation only unlocks on Marketing Hub Professional ($890/mo for 2k contacts) or higher, so total cost balloons fast as you scale.

Mailchimp — Best for template variety & quick set-up

• What makes it different: Famous for its intuitive drag-and-drop builder, 130+ templates and a forever-free plan (500 contacts) that includes surveys and basic journeys.
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: Entry pricing is lower ($13 Essentials vs. AC’s $15 Starter), you can swap templates mid-campaign, and the UI is gentler for solopreneurs who just need newsletters—no steep learning curve.
• Watch out for: Advanced automations, multi-audience support and analytics sit behind Premium ($350+/mo); no built-in CRM, and power users will outgrow its automation depth.

Constant Contact — Best for events & local orgs

• What makes it different: Ultra-simple editor, RSVP/event-management blocks and strong phone support make it a favorite for nonprofits and chambers.
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: You’ll launch a list, segment and send in minutes—reviewers praise the gentle learning curve and straightforward contact imports.
• Watch out for: Lite plan caps automations and send volume; power features lag behind AC and there’s no free tier after the 60-day trial.

Brevo — Best budget email + SMS

• What makes it different: Generous free plan (300 emails/day), pay-as-you-grow pricing from $9/mo, plus built-in SMS, WhatsApp and transactional email on every tier.
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: Cleaner UI and flat send-based pricing mean you pay for volume, not contacts—ideal for startups that need omnichannel messaging without AC’s complexity.
• Watch out for: Only ~50 email templates, fewer advanced automation conditions, and Brevo branding stays until you upgrade from the free plan.

beehiiv — Best for newsletter growth & monetization

• What makes it different: Newsletter-first CMS with referral program, ad-network monetization and web-site builder; free up to 2,500 subscribers.
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: Flat pricing (Launch $0 / Grow $43) and viral growth tools let creators own their audience without wrestling with marketing-automation overkill.
• Watch out for: No CRM, limited multi-branch automations and few ecommerce integrations—better for content publishers than SaaS or stores.

Kit — Best for digital-product creators

• What makes it different: Visual automations, built-in checkout for courses & ebooks, and a free tier up to 10 k subs tailor it to solo makers.
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: Far simpler UI, creator referral network, and lower mid-tier pricing ($29 for 1 k) mean faster time-to-launch for personal brands.
• Watch out for: Lacks granular conditional logic, CRM capabilities and deep analytics—serious funnel builders will hit limits that AC solves.

GetResponse — Best for all-in-one funnels and webinars

• What makes it different: Only platform in this list with native webinar rooms, plus landing-page and funnel builder on every plan. activecampaign.com
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: Starter tier ($9/mo) gives unlimited email sends and webinar marketing—great value for educators or coaches who don’t need AC’s advanced CRM. activecampaign.com
• Watch out for: Automation depth and dynamic segments are locked behind the higher “Marketing Automation” plan, and deliverability trails ActiveCampaign by ~4 points

Klaviyo — Best for Shopify & ecommerce segmentation

• What makes it different: Real-time storefront data, predictive analytics and email + SMS flows tuned for revenue metrics; free to 250 profiles.
• Why pick it over ActiveCampaign: Deep SKU-level segments, automated product recommendations and Shopify one-click setup make it the go-to for DTC brands.
• Watch out for: Prices rise quickly after the free tier, flows are e-commerce-centric, and service businesses may find its feature set too narrow.

Why look for ActiveCampaign alternatives?

Methodology

We compared 20+ “ActiveCampaign competitors” on:

1. Public pricing pages updated in 2025.
2. Feature parity for core email-automation use-cases.
3. Recent third-party ratings (G2, Capterra, Techradar) with ≥200 reviews.
4. Hands-on tests of each platform’s automation builder and template editor.

Prices and ratings were last verified July 2025.

Bottom line

ActiveCampaign still reigns for power-users who live in complex, multi-branch automations. If that’s not you, one of these eight tools will likely save you money—and hours of workflow fiddling—while covering 90% of the same use-cases. Start a free plan, rebuild one key automation, and see how it feels before you commit.

FAQs

Is there a free alternative to ActiveCampaign?

Yes. HubSpot’s free CRM tools, beehiiv’s Launch tier, Brevo’s free 300-emails-per-day plan and Klaviyo’s 250-contact plan all let you start at $0.

Which tool is best for agencies?

HubSpot (for its multi-portal client management) or Klaviyo (for e-commerce agencies needing deep storefront data).

What’s the cheapest ActiveCampaign competitor?

Brevo Starter at $9/month for 20,000 emails.

Can I import my automations from ActiveCampaign?

Most platforms migrate lists easily, but automation flows often need manual rebuilding. HubSpot and Kit both offer free concierge migrations for new customers.

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